White Claw hard seltzer has been on fire for the past three years. Last year was crazy as I watched eighty cases of White Claw fly off the sales floor each week during the summer. I’m curious to see what this summer brings. Because folks are drinking more alcoholic beverages out of a can, canned wines are taking off as well. I struggle to find good wine in a can and I refuse to bring in an item unless it’s worthy of taking up space in my department. So far, I’ve found a few that I feel are more than decent. I get a lot of samples so I decided once again to focus on canned wine on my YouTube channel. Last year I did a canned wine blitz episode and it got a lot of views. This time I am calling it a canned wine trifecta and will shoot three episodes consecutively, part 1, part 2 and part 3. The first one which will go up today features canned bubbles. Part 2 will be wine spritzers in a can and part 3 will focus on still reds and whites. I think they will be fun to watch and I might discover a good canned wine or two.
As I’ve mentioned, my wife Susie is vigorously researching places to go in Spain. We are fairly confident that we will be able to go to London and Spain in December without masks on the plane and dealing with quarantines. The world is slowly getting back to normal. We have both decided that our trip to Spain will be in the Basque region up north and a quick trip down to the town of Haro in the Rioja region. I am very interested in visiting Lopez de Heredia, a winery I have long admired. They make outstanding Rioja wines and I will try to arrange a visit there. This is not necessarily a wine-focused trip but hey, if we’re that close we might as well take advantage.
Summer is near, which means the tourists will be coming in force to the San Juan Islands. It also means a lot of hard work in our department, but I think my assistant Scott and I are up for the challenge. We both like the hustle and bustle summer brings and the interchange with customers. Selling wine and making suggestions on purchases is the fun part of our job and we both enjoy that aspect. I am very interested to see what people will be most interested in buying this year. I know Rose’ will be huge, and red blends will continue to dominate. However, every year something new emerges as a focus item for customers. Last year, wines from the Etna region in Italy seemed to gain popularity. What will this year bring? So far Soave is making a mark as well as Bordeaux. If I put a value Bordeaux rouge on the floor BOOM! It goes quickly. Trends are fun to look for and paying attention is essential.
Cheers!
Stan The Wine Man
‘
